Will you be my friend?
by Kara Kenney
Summary: When Tom and Diana are assigned to a lengthy case, Shawn is sent to bring Maia to The 4400 Center. The two become friends, but then Nikki shows up.
1. Chapter 1

"Mommy?" Maia uncertainly asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Maia? I'm sorry, your mother had to go into work early today. I was sent to watch you. My name's Shawn. I'm a 4400, just like you." Shawn Farrell said to the 9-year-old girl in front of him.

"Hi." Maia said politely.

"I guess I'm supposed to make you breakfast now?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah, that's what you're supposed to do." Maia told Shawn as her stomach growled.

"Look, Maia, I'm not much of a cook. Do you want to go out to breakfast? I know a little restaurant that has great hash browns." Shawn asked, hoping she would agree.

"Sure. What are we going to do after that?" Maia asked him.

"I'm not sure, Maia. We can do whatever you want." Shawn said, smiling at the little blonde girl.

"Can we go to the park? I love the swings." Maia asked.

"That sounds like fun. Now go get dressed and we'll go to breakfast." Shawn suggested with a smile.

"Okay." Maia answered.

Maia got dressed in a Georgia Tech sweatshirt and jeans and then came back into the kitchen where Shawn was sitting.

"Can you do pigtails?" Maia asked the handsome 18-year-old.

"I can try." He told her, even though he knew they would turn out awful.

Shawn tried a few times, and then finally they agreed that the pigtails looked good enough.

"You'll have to work on that incase you baby-sit me again." Maia said with a giggle.

"Yeah, I guess I will." Shawn said as he grabbed his car keys.

"Can we listen to music?" Maia asked Shawn when they were in his car.

"Sure. What kind of music do you like? I have almost everything on my iPod." He said with a smile.

"Relient K?" Maia asked him.

"Works for me." Shawn said as he selected "Sadie Hawkins Dance" off a play list.

"Now let's go to breakfast!" Maia said, getting excited as she sang along.

"Sadie Hawkins dance! In my khaki pants! There's nothing better! Oh, oh, oh! The girls ask the guys, it's always a surprise, there's nothing better, baby, do you like my sweater! Scan the cafeteria for some good seating, I found a good spot by the cheerleaders eating. The quarterback asked me if I'd like a beating, I said that's one thing I won't be needing!" Shawn and Maia sang until they got to the small restaurant.

"You're pretty good at singing." Shawn complimented Maia.

"You're not that bad yourself." Maia said with a huge smile.

A waitress named "Martha" who was at least 70 years old seated them, and then they both ordered eggs and hash browns.

"How is it, Maia?" Shawn asked when their food had come.

"It's awesome!" Maia told Shawn after she tasted the food.

"I'm glad you like it." Shawn said right before his cell phone rang.

"Are you going to get that?" Maia asked Shawn as they both looked at the phone.

"Yeah, I guess I probably should. I'll be right back" Shawn said after a moment.

Shawn walked out of the small restaurant and leaned against the brick wall, staring out at the street.

"Shawn Farrell here." He said into the small phone.

"Shawn, it's Diana. I need you to take Maia back to the center with you. It looks like Tom and I are going to be on this case a little longer than we expected. This 4400 is able to teleport, which doesn't sound too bad, but he has no control over it." Diana explained to Shawn.

"No problem, Diana. Maia is so nice, I'd be glad to take her to the center with me. Before you go, would you like to talk to her?" Shawn asked Maia's mother.

"No thanks. Just give her a kiss, tell her that I love her, and that I'll be back as soon as I can." Diana told Shawn.

"Sure, but I'm not sure it'll be the same coming from me." Shawn replied with a chuckle.

"We'll manage. Look, Shawn, I've got to go now, but thanks so much." Diana said and then hung up her phone.

Shawn walked back into the restaurant where Maia was quietly eating her food while examining the photos and trophies along the walls.

"This is from your mom," Shawn said, leaning over and kissing the top of Maia's head, "and she says that she loves you and will be home as soon as she can. But, Maia, she's going to be longer than she though. You're going to come to The 4400 Center with me. That's okay, right?"

"Sure. I'm ready to go." Maia told Shawn.

"That's great, Maia, but first we need to go back to your house so you can pack." Shawn said, smiling at Maia's eagerness.

They got into Shawn's car and silently drove back to where Maia and Diana lived. Maia didn't ask for any music, so Shawn decided to leave the radio off.

"Okay, Maia, you go pack, if you need any help, I'm right here." Shawn said as Maia ran up to her room.

"I'm fine, Shawn." She responsibly told him.

Maia hurried to find a tennis bag where she could fit most of her clothes. She grabbed her Georgia Tech t-shirt and sweatpants, her tie-dye t-shirt, her navy blue skirt, her flannel pajama bottoms, her 3 pairs of jeans, and any other t-shirts that were in her drawer. Then she ran to the bathroom to get her toothbrush, hairbrush, and hair ties.

"Shawn," Maia called, "I need help getting it to fit!"

"I'll be right there, Maia!" Shawn called back as he got off the couch and made his way to the young girl's room.

Together they tried to stuff half of Maia's wardrobe into a bag. After a few minutes of laughing, pushing, shoving, and zippering, everything fit into the bag.

"That should do." Shawn said, sounding accomplished.

"Now, off we go!" Maia said as she ran out of her room to get Shawn's car keys.

In a few minutes the two of them were in the car, getting ready for their 2 hour drive.


	2. Chapter 2

"How do you like school, Maia?" Shawn asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"I like it. Not that it really matters. They make you go whether you like it or not." Maia told Shawn with a smile.

Maia went back to looking out the window as Shawn focused on the road. None of them spoke, which was fine with Maia.

"_I hope there are kids my age there, maybe even ones with gifts like mine. I wonder what Shawn does there. I wonder what his family is like. I wonder if he has any little sisters that would be my friends. I wonder if he will be my friend." _Maia thought to herself as she watched the cows grazing on the dry grass.

"Music?" Shawn asked Maia. Unlike Maia, he didn't like the silence.

"Sure." Maia mumbled.

"First song that comes to mind. Go!" He said to Maia.

"The Call by Backstreet Boys." Maia said with a smile. They had played that song during quarantine, and she had really liked it.

"The Backstreet Boys?" Shawn looked at her questioningly.

"Play it or I'll sing it without the music!" She threatened through a huge grin.

"Please no! I'll do it, I'll do it!" Shawn joked.

Shawn handed his iPod to Maia so she could find the song. After looking through hundreds of songs, she found it. She pressed the button and pointed Shawn's iPod towards the radio. A few seconds later, the phone in the song rang.

"Listen, baby, I'm sorry, just wanna tell you, don't worry. I will be late, don't stay up and wait for me. I say again, you're dropping out, my battery is low, we're going to a place nearby, gotta go!" Shawn and Maia sang off key.

Neither of them knew many of the other words, but every time the chorus came up, they sang as loud as they could. After that, the drive went much faster.

"Maia, you have a boyfriend?" Shawn asked when a song had ended.

"Shawn, I'm only nine! What about you, though?" She looked up at him with the cutest face.

"I-" Shawn said as his phone rang.

The phone rang again.

"Maia, can you get it?" Shawn asked as he turned a corner.

"Sure." Maia said as she picked up the phone.

"Hi Shawn!" The girl on the other end said.

"This is Maia." Maia told the other girl.

"Oh, hi Maia. I'm Nikki." Nikki said.

"So, who are you?" Maia asked as Shawn playfully punched her on the arm.

"Where are your manners?" He whispered.

"I'm Shawn's girlfriend, well, ex-girlfriend. We never officially broke up, but when he ran away, I figured it was over." Nikki explained.

"Got it." Maia said thoughtfully.

"So," Nikki asked, "who are you?"

"I'm his _new_ girlfriend." Maia told Nikki as she looked over at Shawn, who was laughing at her.

"Oh," Nikki said sadly, "you sound a little young."

"Apparently he's into younger women now." She said, still watching Shawn.

"Look, is he there?" Nikki asked, getting impatient.

Just as Maia was handing the phone to Shawn, he decided to sing along with "So tell me, am I sexual? Am I everything you need to rock your body, baby?" from "Everybody" by Backstreet Boys.

"Yeah!" Nikki said, as Shawn realized what he had just done.

"Nikki?" Shawn asked, as surprised as he was embarrassed.

"I was talking to your girlfriend. How old is she, exactly?" Nikki asked.

"Maia isn't my girlfriend," Shawn explained, "I'm watching her for her mom, and she's nine."

"Oh. Well, call me back sometime when you aren't babysitting." Nikki said.

"But I-" Nikki hung up, "need your phone number."

"Was that your girlfriend?" Maia asked Shawn.

"She used to be." Shawn said, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

"What happened?" Maia innocently asked.

"Ah, well, we went to the lake, where you and I appeared, and some stuff happened. And later I ran away. From home. That ended it." Shawn said, looking over at Maia with a sad smile.

"What's wrong?" Maia asked.

"I felt bad about going out with her. She was my brother's girlfriend, and I guess I stole her from him." Shawn said, still watching Maia.

"You better stop here." Maia said, looking at the tall building.

"Hmm?" Shawn said as he nodded his head towards the building.

"Yeah. There's going to be a car accident up ahead. We don't want to be part of the 3 injured and 1 dead." Maia said with a frown.

"Got it." Shawn answered as the pulled off towards what now appeared to be a very large toy store.

Shawn and Maia got out of the car and headed towards the large entrance. Once inside, they were greeted by over a million stuffed toys which lined the walls.


	3. Chapter 3

"Tom, come look at this." Diana said to her partner.

They rewound the security tape and played it back again.

There was a man, mid-forties, going bald, in an average jacket and jeans. He was looking around the convenience store and then he picked up a soda. A few seconds later, he was gone.

"Returnee 2893, Larry Howard. Abducted on April 26, 1976. Lives in North Carolina." Diana said, reading off a sheet of paper.

"Do you have an address?" Tom asked.

"Yes. 21 Gunther Rd., Mars Hill, North Carolina." Diana told him.

"Driving or flying?" Tom looked at a map of the United States.

"Flying. It's the other side of the country." Diana said.

"When do we leave?" Tom picked up his briefcase.

"We need to be at the airport in an hour. Go pack your bags; we may be there for a while." Diana said.

"I'll meet you back here in 20 minutes." Tom told Diana as he walked out the office door.

Tom hopped in his car and took off towards his house. He was home in 5 minutes, and in 10 more minutes, he had packed and was ready to go. On his way out the door, he realized that Kyle would be here without him. He left a note on the fridge with sixty dollars for food.

_"I'll call him while we're on the plane."_ Tom thought to himself as he headed back to work.

In another 5 minutes he was standing in front of Diana, who was ready to go.

"Your car?" She asked him.

"Yeah, my bags are already in it." Tom said as they left the office, locking the door behind them.

They silently walked out to Tom's car. Tom helped Diana put her bags in the trunk, and then they were off. In a half hour, they had boarded the plane.

"What's the plan?" Diana asked Tom.

"I don't really have one. I figure we'll land and then drive to Larry's house." Tom said with a sheepish grin.

"Not exactly a well thought out plan." Diana said.

"Yeah, I know. But I only had a few minutes to work on it." Tom said, avoiding Diana's eyes.

"Well, now you have 6 hours to figure out a better one. We'll do it together." Diana looked at Tom.

"Let's get to work." Tom said, still looking away from Diana.

For the first two hours, they worked on a plan. They were going to stay at the only hotel in the area, and it wasn't a chain hotel. But then again, it was Mars Hill. There were no chain restaurants. The closest McDonalds was 30 minutes away, and a mall was even farther. There were only 10 rooms in the hotel, and 9 of them were full from a family reunion, so Tom and Diana were going to have to share a room. In the morning they would walk to Larry's house, and once there, they would try to talk to him.

"Are we done planning?" Diana yawned.

"Yeah, I guess so." Tom told her.

"Great. We still have 4 hours, and I'm taking a nap." Diana informed him.

Tom looked out the window. There wasn't much else to do. After a little while, he decided to call Kyle.

"Hey Kyle." Tom said when Kyle answered the phone.

"Where are you?" Kyle asked.

"On a plane, headed to North Carolina." Tom told his son.

"When are you gonna be back?" Kyle opened the fridge.

"I'm not sure. Listen, there's money on the fridge, it's for food. If you want, you can stay at the with your cousins." Tom told him.

"Is Shawn there?" Kyle got out the milk.

"Nah. Since when is Shawn ever there?" Tom looked over at Diana.

"I think I'll stay here." Kyle said as he poured some milk.

"Fine with me. You know my number, and the other emergency numbers are on the door." Tom looked around the plane.

"Got it, Dad." Kyle dunked an Oreo into his milk.

"See ya, buddy." Tom said as he hung up.

"Oreo, milk's favorite cookie…" Kyle said to himself as he ate the rest of the bag.

Tom stared out the window. Not that there was anything to look at, all he could see was white. As he reached into his bag, Diana's head fell onto his shoulder. He sat back up. He didn't want to disturb her.

"Soda?" The flight attendant asked as she rolled her cart by.

"No, thanks." Tom quietly replied.

The woman nodded and proceeded to the next isle.

Tom looked at his watch, three more hours. Just then, Diana woke up.

"Hey." Tom said, looking down at her.

"Oh, um, hi." Diana sat up immediately.

"Three more hours." Tom told her.

"Yea, great." Diana looked away.

They talked for the rest of the flight, not about anything important, but mainly about Kyle, Shawn, and Maia. In what seemed like much less than three hours, a voice came over the intercom.

"Buckle your seatbelts, we will be landing soon." The voice said.

Tom buckled his seatbelt, and then, without thinking, he buckled Diana's.

"Um, thanks." Diana awkwardly said.

"Yeah, no problem." Tom looked at the flashing seatbelt sign above them.

A/N: I'm not really sure how long the flight would be, but 6 hours seemed close enough.

**Thanks to my reviewers, this is my first fanfic and I wasn't sure how it would turn out.**

**Larry Howard was actually abducted on that date (according to my screensaver and desktop) but the ID number was random…**

**I don't own Oreos or McDonalds, or The 4400 characters (though I wish I did). Basically, all I own is the idea for this story, so please don't steal it!**

**Mars Hill is a real place, but I don't think there is a Gunther Road, and if there is, well…I'm not sure.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: The last chapter (the one about Tom and Diana) was taking place during the first two chapters (about Shawn and Maia) I'm not quite sure how I'm going to write a story about two different things…but oh well. I think I like writing about Shawn and Maia more than Tom and Diana. I might take out the last chapter, change the summary, and make it just about Shawn and Maia. It's also harder for me to write about Tom and Diana because I can't get into an adult's mind (seeing as how I'm only 13) Tell me what you think in a review!**

**I don't own Toys "R" Us (though it would rock if I did!) and I don't own PS2, The Backstreet Boys, or DDR.**

"A Toys "R" Us?" Shawn asked Maia he looked around.

"Yeah. I like toy stores." Maia said as Shawn smiled.

_"He's really cute when he smiles." _Maia thought to herself.

"Where to?" Shawn asked.

They looked up at a huge sign. On the sign it said what was on each floor.

"Ummmm," Maia said as she examined the sign, "floor three. Video games!"

"You got it. Let's go." Shawn headed towards the escalator.

They rode the first escalator to the second floor, and then they got on another, which went to the third floor.

"Here we are, madam." Shawn said with a fake British accent.

"Do you like video games?" Maia asked Shawn.

"Yeah, of course. But I don't have too much time to play them. But when I have free time, you can't get me off my PS2." Shawn said as he smiled at Maia.

"I like DDR." Maia told him.

"I've heard of it, but I've never played it." Shawn said.

"Well, maybe if you ever come to watch me at my house we can play." Maia suggested.

"We have it at the center, I just haven't played it. We can play it when we get there." Shawn told Maia.

"I'm gonna kick your butt!" Maia said with a huge smile.

"Oh, I doubt it!" Shawn told her, smiling as much as she was.

"Picture!" A random guy called.

"Huh?" Shawn and Maia looked up.

"A picture. You know, at amusement parks they take your picture at the entrance for a souvenir." The guy said as if it should be obvious.

"We aren't at an amusement park." Maia told the guy.

"Well, true. But I figured, if they can do it there, why not do it here?" The man said.

"Um, yeah." Shawn said as he grabbed Maia's hand and walked quickly away with her.

"What a crazy guy!" Maia whispered to Shawn when they were safely hiding in a corner under a table.

"Yeah!" Shawn agreed.

"This is kind of crazy, too. We're hiding under a table in a corner." Maia said with a smile.

"Yeah, let's go to a different floor." Shawn suggested.

They rode an escalator up to the fourth floor, where they noticed there were no crazy photographers. A new song came on.

"We know this!" Shawn exclaimed to Maia.

"Backstreet Boys again? What's up with this world?" Maia asked.

"If you want it to be good, girl, get yourself a bad boy!" Shawn sang.

"If you really like it hot, like someone that hits the spot!" Maia continued.

"If you really want it good, girl, get yourself a bad boy!" Maia and Shawn sang together.

_"It's amazing how easy it is to be so silly around Maia. I would never act like this around anyone else." _Shawn thought as they walked towards the bikes and scooters

"I wish I had a bike like this." Maia said to herself, snapping Shawn out of his thoughts.

"I don't have a bike." Shawn told Maia.

"But you have a car." Maia replied.

"Good point." Shawn said.

"Can we go back to the first floor where all the stuffed animals are?" Maia asked Shawn.

"Sure, as long as there are no photographers!" Shawn said with a chuckle.

"You got it." Maia agreed as she giggled.

They headed towards the escalator. While they walked, they looked at all the bikes. There sure were a lot of them. Then they rode down to the first floor.

"I like the puppies." Maia looked around at all the stuffed dogs.

"I'll get you one." Shawn said.

"Really?" Maia asked.

"Yeah," Shawn told her, "you probably forgot to bring one for your stay at the center, and now you can remember our trip."

"Thanks!' Maia said as she ran to the shelves, looking at all of them.

She looked at all of them and then decided on a golden retriever.

"This one?" Shawn asked Maia.

"Yeah." Maia told him.

"It's cute." Shawn smiled.

The two of them headed toward the check out counter. Shawn paid for it and they walked back out to Shawn's car.

"What did you name it?" Shawn asked the little girl.

"I think I'll name it," Maia paused for a moment, thinking, "Shawn."

"I like that name." Shawn told Maia.

"Me too." Maia smiled.

"Let's go, we still have another hour." Shawn said as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"What are we going to do at The 4400 Center?" Maia asked Shawn.

"Well," Shawn thought for a moment, "first we'll play DDR. Then you'll have to either go to day care or stay in my room until lunch. I'll come and eat lunch with you, and then you'll have to go do what you were doing before. I'll be back for dinner, and then we can hang out."

"Day care?" Maia asked with a frown.

"Not day care, I just, don't know what to call it. It's fun, I promise." Shawn said.

"Okay." Maia agreed.

"Will Nikki be there?" Maia asked Shawn.

"I don't think so." Shawn exited off the highway.

"Who will be there?" Maia looked at Shawn.

"I'm not sure. Richard and Lily will be there, and maybe some kids your age." Shawn said.

"Who are Richard and Lily?" Maia hugged her dog.

"They're 4400. They have a baby, her name is Isabelle. Maybe you can see her." Shawn suggested.

Shawn's phone rang and Maia answered it.

"Hello?" She asked, hoping it wasn't Nikki. She didn't like Nikki.

"Hi, I'm Kyle, Shawn's cousin. Who are you?" Kyle asked.

"I'm Maia, Shawn's babysitting me." She answered honestly; she liked Kyle more than Nikki.

"Can I talk to Shawn?" Kyle asked her.

"Sure." Maia handed the phone Shawn.

Shawn put the phone into a speaker so he could talk without holding the phone.

"Evil cousin Shawn, corrupter of the innocent! How's it going?" Kyle asked.

"Not too bad. Listen, Kyle, nothing inappropriate, I have a 9-year-old with me. She's too innocent to corrupt." He added.

"Got it. Where are you? We've missed you!" Kyle said.

"Right now I'm headed to the center, you should come!" Shawn turned onto a street.

"Maybe. Look, Nikki's been bugging Danny and me about you. Have you talked to her?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, this morning. Maia," Shawn looked over at Maia, "wasn't very nice to her."

"She's going to be at the center. You're going to leave me alone because you'll go with her. I don't like her." Maia said, looking very sad.

"How does Maia know that?" Kyle asked.

"Hey, Kyle, you should come. But, look, I'll call you back later. I've got to talk to Maia." Shawn told his cousin.

"Sure, bye." Kyle hung up.

"I'm sorry Maia. I don't want Nikki to be there either." Shawn told Maia.

"That's what you say now, but when she's there, you'll want her there." Maia said, becoming even sadder.

"Why don't we call her, and tell her that we don't want her to come. Would that make you feel better?" Shawn asked the sad child.

"Yes," Maia nodded, "but it won't matter, she'll come anyway."

"Her number is programmed, just find her name." Shawn told Maia.

Maia found the number and selected it. The phone rang twice before Nikki picked up.

"Hello?" Nikki answered.

"Nikki, it's Shawn and Maia." Shawn told her.

"Hi Shawn, hi _Maia_." She replied.

"Look, Nikki, you weren't planning on coming to The 4400 Center, were you?" Shawn asked.

"Actually, I was going to head over there. Why do you ask?" Nikki said sweetly.

"Don't come." Maia casually said.

"Nikki, why would you want to visit the center?" Shawn asked his ex-girlfriend.

"To see you, of course." Nikki said with a giggle.

Maia glared at the phone. "Maybe he doesn't want to see you."

"My, my, my, Maia. What do you have against me?" Nikki asked.

"Stuff." Maia mumbled.

"Nikki, I want to spend some time with Maia at the center. There'll be plenty of time for us to hang out later. I'm thinking of coming to stay with my mom and Danny for a little while." Shawn turned into a smaller street.

"I'll do what I want, Shawn." Nikki hung up.

"That went well." Shawn said to no one in particular.

"Sorry." Maia said.

"About what?" Shawn looked away from the road to glance at Maia.

"I should try to be nicer to her. After all, she is your friend, though I'm not sure why." Maia said, mumbling the last part.

"Yeah, well, if I knew someone was going to take my friend away from me, I probably wouldn't be too friendly towards them either." Shawn told Maia.

"How much longer?" Maia asked Shawn.

"About five more minutes." Shawn sharply turned a corner.

"Do you think Kyle will come?" Maia asked her babysitter.

"I'm not sure. I hope he does. That way, if something happens with Nikki, you'll have another friend." Shawn said.

They rode the last five minutes in silence.

_"I want Nikki to come, but I don't want to leave Maia. She's such a cute kid. I hope she'll make friends her age at the center, not that there are many kids. I wonder how she feels about being a 4400. She must have lost her parents and most of her family, that's why she lives with Diana. I wonder if her parents ever had other children. Maybe she has siblings who are living, she just doesn't know about them. In my free time, I'll have to check up on that." _Shawn thought.

"He's dead. Jordan. His body will be found, someone stole it threw it in the ocean." Maia suddenly said.

"Really?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah. It's okay though. While you are in charge of the center, it will be much better." Maia smiled at Shawn.

"If you say so." Shawn smiled back.

"Are we here?" Maia asked, looking at the large building in front of them.

"Yeah. This is The 4400 Center." Shawn looked up at the center.

"Let's go." Maia opened the car door.

"Let's go." Shawn agreed as he opened his door.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for like…a month. But I've been so busy, we've adopted 3 rats in the past month, and have had a death of an older rat, and we have spent over $200 in vet visits for Skyler, Clyde, and Jeremy. And with school starting this week, I've had to finish all my summer homework. 

I've decided to not continue my Tom and Diana story (after the finale, I'm now a Diana/Marco person, and writing a Tom/Diana story would be weird). There will be times when Diana calls to check in on Maia, and maybe she'll mention what's going on where she is. So, I'm sorry, but that part of the story won't be continued. If someone else wants to write a Tom/Diana story with what I started, it's fine with me…I don't think that I had a great story started for them anyway, so I'm not really sure what anyone could do with it.

Shawn and Maia walked through the tall doors of the 4400 Center. Immediately a woman walked over to them.

"Mr. Farrell, is there anything I can do for you or your guest?" The woman asked.

"No, but thank you." Shawn politely replied.

"If you need anything, I'll be here." The woman went back to her desk in the lobby.

"Okay, Maia. Let's go play DDR." Shawn said as they waited for an elevator.

Maia and Shawn rode the elevator to the 7th floor. From there, they walked down a hallway to where Shawn lived. Shawn unlocked his door and they walked inside. There was a big screen TV with all game consoles available attached to it. Shawn turned on the TV and PS2. While it started up, he went over to the bookcase and found a DDR game. He put it in, and got out the dance mats.

"How do you play?" Shawn asked Maia.

"See the arrows on the mat? You step on the arrows when they get to the top of the screen. You'll get it, it isn't too hard." Maia told him.

"I'll try." Shawn said as the song started.

Shawn wasn't very good at it, unlike Maia, who was amazing. Shawn missed most of the arrows, and ended up getting a D, but Maia got "perfects" on every arrow, and got an A, the best score possible.

"How do you do that?" Shawn asked in amazement.

"It's easy for me because I know what arrows are coming up. And besides, I've had way more practice than you." Maia humbly answered.

"Look, I'm sorry Maia, but I've got to work. You can hang out here, or walk around. There's gardens outside you might enjoy." Shawn suggested.

"Okay. I'll find something to do." Maia said.

"I'll see you around lunchtime?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah. I'll be here." Maia said. She paused, and then gave Shawn a hug.

"Thanks Maia. See you at lunch!" He called as he walked out the door.

Maia smiled to herself, and then walked out the door. She wanted to see Isabelle. Maia went up to the front desk and asked the woman if she knew where Lily and Isabelle were. She suggested looking in the nursery. Maia thanked her and walked away.

As Maia was walking to the nursery, she walked by a room with large windows. She looked in, and saw Shawn, along with other people who were sitting at a table. She waved to Shawn, and he smiled. She knew Shawn was busy, so she kept walking. Finally, she got to the nursery.

"Are you Lily?" Maia asked a blonde woman standing outside the nursery.

"Yes. And who are you?" Lily asked with a smile.

"I'm Maia." Maia told Lily.

"And what have I done to deserve a visit from you, Maia?" Lily asked.

"I wanted to see Isabelle." Maia said.

"Isabelle is taking her nap right now. You can look in on her, but maybe later if you come back you can hold her." She told Maia.

"Okay, thanks." Maia said as they walked into a room with a crib.

Maia leaned over the railing of the crib and saw Isabelle. Maia smiled, and then quietly walked out of the room.

"She's not going to be a baby for much longer." Maia told Lily when the door was closed.

"I know. That's why I'm trying my best to enjoy every minute of it. It's true what they say, they do grow up fast.

"Isabelle is going to grow up even faster than regular kids." Maia said with a creepy smile, and then she walked away.

"What time is it?" Maia asked an adult.

"11:15." He replied.

"Do you know what time Shawn gets a lunch break?" Maia asked the man.

"You're a bit young to be one of his fans waiting for a glimpse of the famous Shawn, aren't you?" The man asked.

"I'm Maia." She said, ignoring the question.

"Hello Maia. I'm Richard. I work with Shawn. How do you know him?"

"He's watching me while my mom is away. But I'm having lunch with him, so I need to know when he eats lunch." Maia said.

"He eats around 12. What are you going to do until then?" Richard asked.

"I'm not sure."

"You could go see my daughter, Isabelle." Richard suggested.

"You're her father?" Maia asked.

"Yeah. Not officially, but Lily and I decided that I would be a dad to Isabelle." Richard said with a proud smile.

"She isn't going to need a daddy for much longer." Maia told Richard as she smiled and continued walking down the hallway.

Maia walked around the center for 15 minutes, and then went back to the room with the big windows to see if Shawn was still there. He was. When Shawn saw her looking through the window, he motioned to her to come in. Maia carefully opened and closed the door, and then walked over to Shawn, aware that all the adults were watching her.

"Everybody, this is Maia." Shawn said as Maia looked around the room.

"Hello Maia." Everyone said in unison.

"Hi." Maia said as she smiled nervously.

"We'll only be a few more minutes. You can sit with me, Maia, then we can go have some lunch." Shawn said.

"Okay." Maia replied.

Maia sat in the chair next to Shawn until the man who was sitting there before her came back.

"Hello-" The man said, wanting Maia to fill in her name.

"Maia." She said.

"Hello, Maia. I'm sorry, but that's my chair. Maybe you could sit with Shawn?" The man kindly asked.

Maia looked over at Shawn. He nodded. Maia got out of the man's chair and went to sit on the floor next to Shawn.

"You don't have to sit on the floor, Maia. You can sit on my lap." Shawn said when Maia started to sit on the rug.

"Okay." Maia replied. She stood up and sat on Shawn's lap.

"I'm sorry this is taking so long, Maia." Shawn whispered 10 minutes later.

"It's okay. I wasn't that hungry anyway." Maia whispered back.

"I bet if you tell me that you're hungry, I could get us out of here early." Shawn whispered with a smile.

"Okay." Maia agreed.

"Wait a minute, and then tell me." Shawn told her.

Maia sat on Shawn's lap and pretended to be listening to what the adults were saying. It didn't make much sense to her, so she zoned out.

"_I like sitting on Shawn's lap. He has his arms around me. I wonder if Kyle's as cute and as nice as Shawn. I hope so. He's going to come to the center. But so is Nikki. I've heard Shawn talk to Kyle in my visions, but I've never seen him, unlike with Nikki. She's going to want to get back together with Shawn. No matter how hard I try to stop it, I'm pretty sure it's going to happen anyway. At least I'll have Kyle." _Maia thought.

"Shawn," Maia said, loud enough so the adults would hear, "I'm hungry. Can we go eat lunch?"

"Can you guys finish without me? I should get Maia some lunch. Richard can fill me in on what I miss." Shawn said with his charming smile.

"Sure. I can fill you in when I see you next time." Richard said. Maia hadn't noticed Richard before.

"Thanks." Shawn said.

Shawn lifted Maia off of his lap and they walked out of the room.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for no update for so long…but the first month of school is crazy, and they're giving us so many tests to prepare us for high school, that between studying, school and sleeping, I have no time for anything else. Don't expect a lot of updates very quickly until around Christmas, then Spring Break, and then the summer. I don't own Wendy's (though it would rock if I did…but I'd also probably weigh 200 lbs instead of 89 lbs) Thanks for the reviews!

"What do you want for lunch?" Shawn asked.

"Can we get Wendy's?" Maia skipped up the stairs to Shawn's suite. (A/N: I don't know if you would call it an apartment, or a suite, or something else)

"If you want to." Shawn replied.

"I do." Maia told him.

"Okay, just give me a minute. I need to call someone. You can play DDR or something. It'll only take a minute." Shawn said as he unlocked the door.

"Okay." Maia agreed.

Shawn walked into his bedroom while Maia turned on the TV.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the phone said.

"Nikki? It's Shawn." Shawn responded.

"Oh, hi Shawn." Nikki said.

"I really want to see you, I do, but can you come by next week? Maia's a sweet kid, and I don't want to hurt her." Shawn calmly explained.

"If I want to come tomorrow, I will. You can't stop me, and neither can Maia."

"Come on, Nikki. Don't do this. Just wait until next week. It's not like Maia's going to let anything happen between us while she's here. Even if she would, _I'm_ not going to let anything happen while she's here. Think about how awkward it would be to have a 9-year-old walk in on us." Shawn said.

"Why can't you just have someone else take care of her for like, an hour. I'm sure she's a great kid, but she isn't even trying to like me. She doesn't know me, but I'm pretty sure she already hates me." Nikki told Shawn.

"It's just, she thinks that if you come, I won't be there for her anymore. And she's probably right. Please, Nikki."

"Shawn…"

"No. Don't come. As much as I want you here, I'd rather wait until Maia is gone. Bye, Nikki." Shawn said, right before he hung up the phone, not giving Nikki a chance to respond.

"Are you ready, Shawn?" Maia yelled through the door.

"Just a second!" Shawn yelled back as he took off his collared shirt and work pants and started looking for a T-shirt and a pair of shorts to wear.

"OUCH!" Maia screamed.

Shawn ran out of his room, forgetting he was only in his underwear, and found Maia crying on the floor, cradling her arm.

"Maia, what happened?" Shawn asked.

"I was playing DDR and I fell." Maia said between sobs.

"Come here, Maia." Shawn said, holding out his arms.

He pulled her into a hug as he helped her up onto the couch. He looked at her funnily bent arm while she sobbed into his bare shoulder.

"Maia, let me go put some pants on, and then I'll see what I can do for your arm." Shawn told the little girl in his arms.

Maia managed to nod as Shawn stood up and walked back into his bedroom.

_"Oh man, I hope it's not broken. I've never healed a bone before. I wonder if it will work." _Shawn thought as he grabbed a random pair of pants and pulled it up to his waist.

"It hurts, Shawn!" Maia moaned.

"I know, I know. It'll be okay, though." Shawn reassured the sobbing child.

"I hope so." Maia said as she continued to sob.

"Give me your hand and let me see your arm." Shawn ordered.

Maia held out her arm and gave Shawn her hand. Shawn focused all of his energy into healing Maia's arm. After a few seconds Maia spoke.

"Shawn, it feels all better!" She said as she gave Shawn a huge hug.

"I'm glad I could help." Shawn replied as he held the little girl.

It was like the little sister he never had. He had always wished for a sister, but when he turned 12, he gave up, and started wishing for a dirt bike. It was really nice having Maia around. She was sweet, funny, and adorable. He knew he would miss her when she left, and that the worst thing he could do would be to hurt her feelings by leaving her for Nikki.

After a few moments, Maia looked up at Shawn and smiled. Shawn kissed her on the forehead.

"Shawn. You have a visitor." A voice said, interrupting the moment.

"Is it her?" Maia asked.

"I don't know. You're one who sees the future. Shouldn't you be telling me if it's Nikki?" Shawn kidded.

"Yeah, I guess so. But I don't know who it is, so let's go see!" Maia said as she ran towards the door, forgetting that just moments ago she had had a broken arm.

"Just a sec, kiddo. I need a shirt." He chuckled.

Maia waited patiently while Shawn tried to find a shirt that didn't scream "DORK!" It was hard, because almost all of his "cool" shirts needed to be washed, because he had been lazy for over two weeks, and all he had left were collared shirts. He finally gave up and grabbed a blue striped polo shirt (**A/N: I like polo shirts on guys, but I imagine that on Shawn, it would look a bit dorky**).

They ran to the lobby and found Kyle, not Nikki, waiting for them.

"Hey, Kyle!" Shawn yelled across the large room.

"Yo, Shawn! You're the big man in charge now, huh?" Kyle said as he looked at what Shawn was wearing and walked towards Shawn and Maia.

"Kyle, this is Maia. Maia, this is Kyle." Shawn said, getting introductions out of the way.

"Hey." Kyle said as he gave Maia a high five.

Maia motioned for Shawn to come down to her level.

"I like him more than Nikki." Maia whispered to Shawn as she stood on tiptoes.

"What'd ya say Maia?" Kyle asked.

Maia grinned shyly, so Shawn answered.

"She says she likes you more than someone else." Shawn told Kyle.

"Cool. Hey, man, do you have anything to eat? I'm starving…" He trailed off as he walked over to the elevator.

"Shawn, Nikki's going to come. But even though she says she's here to see you, she's not." Maia said with a serious face.

"Who's she here for, Maia?" Shawn worriedly asked.

"I think it's Kyle. It's hard to tell." Maia said as she pulled Shawn towards the elevator where Kyle was waiting.

"So, anything up with you and Nikki?" Shawn casually asked Kyle.

"She bugs me. She bugs everyone." Kyle said with a frown.

"So…nothing going on between you? No dates, no movies, no dinners, nothing?" Shawn asked.

"I don't think so. But I wish." Kyle replied.

"But I thought she bugged you?" Shawn asked, confused.

"Dude. She's hot." Kyle said as the elevator door opened.

Maia rolled her eyes. _"Boys…" _She thought.

They walked up to Shawn's suite where Kyle immediately noticed the mess, both in the family room and Shawn's bedroom.

"What happened?" Kyle asked. "Last time I was here, this place was neater than…well, anywhere."

"A nine year old happened." Shawn answered as he looked at Maia with a smile.

"It's not all me. It's your fault there's clothes all over your bedroom floor. That was all you." Maia told Shawn.

"_And _there's clothes on the floor? My, my, my, Shawn, what is that about?" Kyle asked with fake disappointment.

"There was a little accident right before you arrived which required…quickly finding pants." Shawn answered with a big smile.

"Food…" Kyle muttered as he made his way to the refrigerator.

"What about Wendy's?" Maia asked Shawn.

"Oh yeah. Wait a second Kyle. Don't eat anything yet. We'll go out for fast food." Shawn told his hungry cousin.

"Fine…but hurry." Kyle mumbled.


End file.
